Not too long ago a bunch of us were waiting for a meeting to start and were telling each other about our pets. Steve told us he was thinking of getting his kids a dog but he probably wouldn’t. He said he knew they wouldn’t take care of it and he didn’t want to do it himself. When it came to Jane, who has a golden retriever, she told how feeding her dog was the best part of her day! She taught her dog to wait by his dish until she gave him the OK sign that he could eat. She made “play dates” for him. She took him to special dog parks. Once a week she took him to Doggie Day Care to play with his friends. She told us she “let” her nieces and nephews feed her dog when they stayed overnight – IF they were good, because it was very important to take good care of him. Jane was bonded with her dog and she knew the “secret” of teaching kids what a joy it is to have a pet. It’s NOT a chore, it’s a privilege. So be prepared to “own” the pet yourself and teach your children how to care for it by example. A pet is part of the family.